I was just wondering what the appeal of the Original Series is to you in particular... I've spoken to many fans, authors and publishers who adore the Kirk era whether adding new lore to it or simply revelling in what was had on-screen. Some of those acolytes were around at the time that TOS was first released and others when TOS and it's associated films were cracking on a bit but the only option as TNG hadn't yet come to the fore, others because regardless of what was on television TOS was their first perhaps introduced via a relative. So for many it was formative.My first ever Star Trek of any fruit was TOS; Galileo Seven and Balance of Terror. Those episodes showed me that people dared to dream and to show those visions on the screen to share and to entertain. Sure, a few weeks later I saw a lot of TNG but the die was already cast and so for me putting aside the orgasmic c.g.i. of the Dominion war scenes in DS9, TOS reigns supreme.

I think the appeal of TOS was the freshness of the ideals of 'Trek. There had been television SF prior to 'Trek, to be sure; but Roddenberry's ideals - presented in the dressing of sci-fi - were both clear and great to see.

"We've been over this. We don't shoot first and ask questions later.""Of course! We never ask questions."

What I like about the old series is the style of the time. I like the retro-futuristic look. I also like the acting style. It was still the time of westerns on tv and you could see the swager of that style of acting in TOS.

The show has individual episodes so groundbreaking and in their own way, better than anything that's come since in Trek. It's a hopeful future. Where humanity is still humanity. It's just we... decide not to kill today.

Also, the E-nil is still one of the most gorgeous sci-fi ships I've ever seen.

The stories were nice, and I can watch them over and over (unlike most episodes of the other series).

They did so much with so little, fx wise.

And lastly, I didn't hate anyone in the main cast. There was no Westley, Neelix, Nog, or Tucker. And the Shatner, Nemoy, and Kelly dynamic has never been able to be revived in any combination of cast members.

No trees were killed in transmission of this message. However, some electrons were mildly inconvenienced.

I took up watching when TNG was airing. I would get home after school and tune into CBS in the afternoons to watch the adventures of Data, Geordi, Troi, Beverly, Jean Luc, Miles, and my personal favorite Dr. Pulaski. I was never really beholden to any of the later series until they were near the end of their runs. I watched the first of Enterprise and didn't return until it was well dead, and honestly would not have if not for Chuck. Enterprise, to me, seemed to get really good near the end and then took a nose dive at the very end.

Now that I'm older I don't care for the newer series all that much and it is mostly because they come off with an air of such obnoxious pretension that it smacks of hypocrisy given their low quality production and horrible stories. There is something about that first show though, how hard they all tried (at times) and how good it still is, even the corny bits. It taps in to that anticipation for a bright future, that eagerness for a better tomorrow—and I don't feel that anywhere right now.

A last comment, TOS was the first television show that my father saw in color when he was a child.

The Original Series came at a time when the Cold War was raging, nuclear destruction was just around the corner. TOS was a breath of fresh air, yes things would go very bad, but after that was a bright future, all you had to do was survive.

God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy..................................................Billy Currington

RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:Chekov as a bridge officer. That was pretty damned gutsy.

There was that, the Kirk/Uhura kiss, the general presence of women in positions of authority (perhaps none more notable than the XO in "The Cage.") Roddenberry was not a man of mediocre qualities - both his positive and negative traits were extreme. One of the more extreme on the positive side was the fact that he did not let the way things were affect how he was going to present his idea of the way things ought to be. Perhaps that consistent, underlying vision was a key factor in the appeal of TOS.

"We've been over this. We don't shoot first and ask questions later.""Of course! We never ask questions."

RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:Chekov as a bridge officer. That was pretty damned gutsy.

There was that, the Kirk/Uhura kiss, the general presence of women in positions of authority (perhaps none more notable than the XO in "The Cage.") Roddenberry was not a man of mediocre qualities - both his positive and negative traits were extreme. One of the more extreme on the positive side was the fact that he did not let the way things were affect how he was going to present his idea of the way things ought to be. Perhaps that consistent, underlying vision was a key factor in the appeal of TOS.

"We've been over this. We don't shoot first and ask questions later.""Of course! We never ask questions."

TOS was a story of hope. It was a giant sign saying "We aren't perfect but we will never stop trying". Take that to TNG's and VOY's story of "Everyone should just kiss up to us no matter how useless we are to everyone". DS9 went back to the message of hope, then ENT just killed it again.

Deepcrush wrote:TOS was a story of hope. It was a giant sign saying "We aren't perfect but we will never stop trying".

Very true.

Take that to TNG's and VOY's story of "Everyone should just kiss up to us no matter how useless we are to everyone". DS9 went back to the message of hope, then ENT just killed it again.

I thought it was more like this:

TNG: We're perfect, and anyone who disagrees has mental problemsDS9: Don't fuck with The Sisko.VOY: Janeway's perfect and always right, even when proven wrong or directly contradicting one of her own previous statements.ENT: Only the Brits are competent at anything.

Only two things are infinite - the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the universe: Albert Einstein.

If that was the message, they screwed it up as much as the rest of the show. The only major limey character I recall was Reed, who was the whiniest bitch on TV since the Dr. Smith on "Lost in Space."

Maybe. He was certainly the only member of the crew who had a clue what he was doing. How many times was the NX-01 saved thanks to Reed's actions, or end up in the shit because he was ignored? Just go and have look through Chuck's reviews.

Only two things are infinite - the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the universe: Albert Einstein.